Fallball 2012: Denver-Maryland Notes, Observations

The Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila was packed with 3,589 ecstatic lacrosse fans Saturday afternoon who were fortunate enough to witness the first NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse game played in Washington state. After a day of clinics for coaches and players alike, fans were treated with a competitive matchup between Denver and Maryland that resulted in a 12-9 victory for the Pioneers.

Fans who attended the inaugural Seatown Classic certainly got their money’s worth, as the Seattle Sounders FC practice stadium played host to one of the most anticipated events for lacrosse fans in the Northwest. Two of the nation’s top-ranked teams went head-to-head for all four quarters and capped off an exciting day for the sport, which was particularly special because it featured three local high school products.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Cole Nordstrom, a junior midfielder for the Pioneers and graduate of Bellevue High School. “To be able to see the stands filled like this, it means a lot to me.”

The fall-season exhibition was a big deal to Washington lacrosse fans for a number of reasons. Besides being the first ever DI matchup in the state, the game served as a conduit for bringing awareness about the sport to the region. Lacrosse is not a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)-sanctioned sport, and as a result supporters of the game are working to spread awareness throughout the community.

“Getting two teams like this out here in Washington, this event is clearly one of the premiere fallball events. So from the big picture standpoint, it’s just a great day for lacrosse,” said Denver coach Bill Tierney.

The Terrapins struck first blood in this matchup with a man-up goal by Jake Bernhardt about four minutes into the game. Denver was serving a one-minute penalty for an illegal body check when Kevin Cooper assisted Bernhardt for the score.

Scoring was back-and-forth for much of the afternoon, with Denver’s Eric Law and Maryland’s Cooper taking the ball in their own hands and converting on scoring opportunities several times each. They each finished with three scores and Cooper was later named player of the game for the Terps.

Senior midfielder Landon Carr, who is reputed as one of the most premier defenders in the country and hails from Curtis High School in nearby Tacoma, was able to break free for Maryland on a fast break and put one in the net to cut Denver’s lead to 7-6.

“It felt good [to score], I would have been really upset if I missed it, so I’m glad I put it away” Carr said after the tough loss. “Obviously the game didn’t go exactly as planned, but we’re missing a lot of guys and it’s fall so we’re just looking to get better.”

But perhaps the most impressive performance on the field Saturday was in front of the nets, as both teams’ goalies were quite stingy. The Terps recorded 10 saves on the day and the Pioneers boasted a total of 14. Pioneers goalie Ryan Laplante even managed to open the scoring for his squad on a coast-to-coast goal following a nifty save.

And while the competitive nature of Saturday’s matchup was the main source of the crowd’s excitement, those behind the firstof the Seatown Classic hope this game can help to open the floodgates for more lacrosse support in the Northwest.

“Lacrosse is gaining so much popularity today,” Tierney added. “We have kids from 20 different states and two provinces in Canada, so we don’t care where we get them from. And I think that’s the way of the future, we’re seeing that now.”

From the rows of lacrosse gear vendors on site for the Seatown Classic and thousands of fans that showed up in Tukwila Saturday, you wouldn’t think that lacrosse was a foreign sport to the region. There was rarely a quiet moment throughout the afternoon and despite the occasional heavy rain, the atmosphere was electric to say the least.

Like Tierney, Maryland coach John Tillman expressed similar excitement for the future of the sport.

“It was an unbelievable environment today,” Tillman said. “You wouldn’t get 3,500 at a lacrosse scrimmage in the fall in Baltimore, D.C. or New York. So to have a large amount of fans in the stands is pretty special for us, but it also shows how many people are really excited about this game.”

The growing popularity of the sport should be exciting for college lacrosse coaches and supporters throughout the nation. After all, growth in the sport comes full-circle to benefit everyone down the road, especially head coaches.

“There are some really good players in the stands today,” Tillman added. “And we’re aware of that.”

Last Impression: Denver

This is clearly a very physical team that is going to rely on the quickness and playmaking ability of guys like Eric Law and Gordie Koerber, who displayed the ability to isolate defenders and make plays when the team needed it. Perhaps the biggest thing Denver did for themselves today, however, was showcase their defensive capabilities, particularly at the goalie position.

Last Impression: Maryland

The Terps were missing a few guys for the Seatown Classic, so that should absolutely be taken into account before making too much out of Saturday's loss. But Cooper showed that he can make plays on his own as well as set up his teammates when he draws the defense’s focus. Landon Carr played excellent defense and was able to mix into the offense for a score as well, which is always a good sign for teams in the offseason.

Both coaches should be thrilled with the show that they put on for fans in the Northwest for the first of many Seatown Classics that are likely to follow.

University of Denver Press Release

SEATTLE, Wash. - The University of Denver men's lacrosse team stunned the University of Maryland lacrosse team 12-9 in a fall-season exhibition at the Starfire Sports Campus in Tukwila, Wash., on Saturday afternoon. The game was the first NCAA DI Lacrosse game played in the Seattle and was a part of the first-ever Seatown Classic.

"I'm just really happy that our guys came and competed against a great Maryland team," said head coach Bill Tierney. "That's all we told them to do, just come out and compete. We knew the score wasn't going to mean a lot but we wanted to come out and compete against a Maryland team that has made it to the National Championship game the last two years."

Senior Eric Law (Centennial, Colo.) led the Pioneers with three goals and two assists, while sophomore Michael Pirone (Bethesda, Md.) and freshman Gordie Koerber (Baltimore, Md.) both added two goals each.

Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan LaPlante (Fort Collins, Colo.) earned Seatown Classic Player of the Game honors as he finished with nine saves and seven goals allowed in 45 minutes of action while also scoring his first collegiate goal.

Also scoring goals for the Pioneers was sophomores Wes Berg (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Tyler Ekeroth (Ranch Bernardo, Calif.), as well as seniors Cameron Flint (Georgetown, Ontario) and Tyler Simmons (Belvedere, Calif.). Senior Chase Carraro (Louisville, Ky.) finished the day winning 11-of-18 face-offs to go along with one assist and five ground balls.

Sophomore Eric Adamson (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) and senior Taylor Young (Littleton, Colo.) both finished with two assists each, while Simmons tallied one assist. Senior Chace Calkin (Englewood, Colo.) also saw time at the face-off x, winning 4-of-6 and scooping up two ground balls.

Maryland's Kevin Cooper led the Terrapins with three goals and two assists, also earning Player of the Game honors. Starting keeper Niko Amato led the way with six saves, back-ups Kyle Bemlohr and Thomas Guarino finished with three and one saves, respectively.

Maryland's Jake Bernhardt opened the scoring four minutes into the game off a pass from Cooper. The Pioneers answered with two straight goals as LaPlante and Law scored. Cooper tied the game at 2-2 with 5 minutes left to play, before Law answered with 3:27 remaining to give the Pioneers a 3-2 advantage. Cooper scored the final goal of the first quarter to make it 3-3.

Denver opened the second quarter scoring three straight goals, as Berg, Ekeroth and Law all found the back of the net. Maryland's Owen Blye snapped the Pioneers' scoring streak with a goal at the 5:55 mark, but Pirone answered with a goal at the 4:13 mark to put the Pioneers up 7-4.

Following the halftime break, Maryland scored three straight goals to tie the game at 7-7 as Cooper, Blye and Landon Carr all scored. Koerber snapped the Terrapins run as he scored back-to-back goals to give Denver a 9-7 lead. Bradlee Lord scored with 53 seconds left in the third quarter, but Flint answered with a goal from Adamson with six seconds remaining.

After Maryland's James Carlson scored less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, both teams played solid defense till the Pioneers took a two-goal lead off a goal by Pirone with 1:41 left. Denver made it 12-9 in the final 30 seconds as Simmons scored an unassisted shot.

Maryland held a slight advantage in shots (32-31), while Denver led the way in ground balls (25-22). The Pioneers' goalie corps finished the day with 14 saves, compared to Maryland's 10, while Denver's face-off group won 15-of-25 face-offs, compared to Maryland's 10-of-25.